Artful images (above and below) promote Cayman in new ads (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

(CNS Local Life): The Department of Tourism (DoT) is
inviting visitors to ‘Dream in Cayman’ with the launch of a new advertising campaign
featuring artful images highlighting the natural beauty of the islands. The
idea is to set Cayman apart from the “sea of sameness” found in advertisements
for other beach destinations, said the DoT.

Among the images created for the campaign are of a woman sitting on the shoulders of a colossal blue iguana as she looks over the sea lit by a full moon, a couple dancing in the Crystal Caves and a woman swimming underwater along a coral reef accompanied by sea turtles.

Minister for Tourism Moses Kirkconnell said the ad campaign
“is rooted in the destination’s pristine natural beauty and luxurious
reputation, but with a creative twist that gives off the look and vibe of a
high-fashion advertisement”.

Created and produced by The Richards Group and
photographed by Miss Aniela, with support from local underwater photographer Jason
Washington, the campaign launched Monday, 4 March, and will continue on TV, digital
media and the DoT’s social channels throughout 2019.

Shot throughout Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little
Cayman, the ads feature local models, with Caymanian Sarah McTaggart singing “Beyond
the Sea” for the TV commercial.

Calling Cayman “more than a sun and sand destination” and
noting the new campaign “captures the spirit of Cayman”, Director of Tourism
Rosa Harris said visitors could “create unforgettable memories” here.

“Looking
ahead to what we anticipate will be another year of record-breaking arrivals
for the Cayman Islands, we are excited to launch our new stylish ad campaign
that truly brings our destination to life in a fresh, luxurious and imaginative
way, while boasting the diversity of experiences that are unrivalled by any
other beach destination,” she said.

Ron Henderson, creative director for The Richards Group,
said, “Where else in the world can one dance with stingrays in the morning,
meet a blue iguana in the afternoon and feast on five-star cuisine at night?
The ‘Dream in Cayman’ campaign was designed to create a place full of whimsy
and charm and mystique that feels less like destination advertising and more
like a luxury fashion brand.”

Comments (14)

Here’s a link to them all. The first one I saw was the one celebrating the coral reefs described as “a woman floats through a coral reef as fish swarm around her, creating a glittery dress”. It was posted on social media, and it took much restraint to stop myself from commenting about the complete hypocrisy of it when CIG are hell bent on destroying acres of coral reef to turn Cayman into an even more horrific cruise ship cattle market than it already is. How utterly hypocritical. And why are they using graphic artists in the states when we have some really good ones here? Dread to think how much money was “shelled” out of the public purse for this.

• LITHUANIA. The $193,000 “Real is Beautiful” campaign was met with ridicule when it launched in October. Note the irony in the campaign’s name.
The head of Lithuania’s State Tourism Department resigned in the wake of the scandal.

• SYRIA: “ALWAYS BEAUTIFUL” [a civil war-torn country]

AUSTRALIA: “WHERE THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU?” The 2007 commercial, which cost a whopping $180 million …was considered so distasteful it was banned in the UK and Canada over complaints about its “bad language”.

RHODE ISLAND: “COOLER AND WARMER”. The US state was mercilessly mocked when it released this promotional video last year, which featured a confusing slogan.Rhode Island’s chief marketing officer resigned in the face of the backlash.

EGYPT: #THISISEGYPT. Egypt’s tourism authorities took a gamble in 2015 with an expensive social media campaign that encouraged people to tweet images of the country’s rich diversity using the hashtag #ThisIsEgypt . The campaign was launched at a time of terrorist activity, extremist violence and reported crackdowns on suspected dissidents and activists in the country.

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